LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — CALS is providing free meal boxes this weekend to ensure no family has to go without food this Thanksgiving.
"Our partners put together these food boxes for folks who might need a little extra help this season," says Stewart Fuell. "2020 has been a beast of a year, and there are a lot of people feeling it, so maybe this will help a little bit."
Boxes can be picked up on Friday, Nov. 20 from 3 to 5 p.m. at the McMath Library and Williams Library, and on Saturday, Nov. 21 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Children’s Library and Learning Center and Dee Brown Library.
Each box contains 30 to 40 pounds of food, enough to make four to five meals for a household of three to four people. There are no qualifiers involved for people to get a box.
Boxes are filled with fresh whole foods like produce, meat, grains and dairy, with recipes like Haitian Style Chicken and Rice, Hearty Egg Burritos and more.
Recipe cards are included that are tailored to the contents of each box. Each box also has a QR code to scan that takes you to videos on the CALS YouTube channel.
"We have some amazing people who work at branches that have teaching kitchens," says Fuell. "They are making these videos to show you how to make these recipes."
You can also watch the videos on their YouTube channel without getting a box if you are interested in making the recipes.
A second distribution will take place the second week of December. For more information, please contact Kay Kay DeRossette at kderossette@cals.org.